Petition saves Foster the People mural in DTLA

A mural commissioned by the band Foster the People in downtown Los Angeles will stay up after all.

By ABC7.com staff

Monday, July 14, 2014

LOS ANGELES (KABC) --

A mural commissioned by the band Foster the People in downtown Los Angeles that was ordered to be painted over by the city will stay up after Mayor Eric Garcetti intervened.

The city originally ordered the band to remove the artwork, which has covered a wall of a building in the 500 block of South Los Angeles Street since January, but a petition to keep the mural up led to the change, according to a tweet by Foster the People.

On Sunday night, Foster the People tweeted: "We just received a call from the mayor's office. Eric Garcetti saw your petition and decided against repainting the wall. The Mural Stays!"

The band added: "To be clear, Eric Garcetti wasn't behind covering the mural to begin with. He's the reason it's staying up. We tip our hats to you good sir."

The band put up the mural to promote the release of the group's latest album, "Supermodel." In January, they used the mural as a backdrop for a free concert.

The band's frontman, Mark Foster, issued a statement earlier, "This mural was our contribution to the city of Los Angeles, our kiss of color to the city we love. The permits that we were told were approved, have retroactively been denied due to a number of issues involving the building and the city."

Amid an area with beige-colored warehouses and office buildings, local residents welcomed a spot of brightness.

"I think it's beautiful. I love the colors," said Kyla Middleton of South Los Angeles.

Foster the People is expected to film and hand out posters at the mural site from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, according to their tweet.